TRAMEA 255 
A fine brown species with reddish face and black spotted tip of abdomen. 
Face, including vertex, pale, becoming reddish with age; a distinct black cross 
stripe between, enclosing middle ocellus. Occiput brown. Thorax thinly hairy 
with uniform darker brown front and paler sides that show dark streaks only in 
the bottom of the lateral sutures (stripes 3 and 5). Legs brown beyond yellowish 
bases of femora; front femora pale to knees. Wings hyaline with reddish veins 
and stigma, and a brown basal, jagged spot, of form shown in figure 00. Abdomen 
pale brown with large black middorsal spots on segments 7-10; on 10 extended 
below. Appendages yellow with blackish tips. 
This is the species whose very pretty aerial egg-laying performances 
are described in our introductory chapter (see p. 26). The senior 
author had repeated opportunities for observing these at a pond near 
Laguna Beach in Southern California. Between egg-laying flights the 
adults flew constantly about the shores of the pond, in and out among 
the bulrushes, often almost, but never quite, within reach of the col- 
lectors net. Floating along on the planing surfaces of its broad hind 
wings its flight is swift and sure and very graceful. 
244. Tramea carolina Linneus 
Linne. ’63, p. 28: Mtk. Cat. p. 179: Davis ’98, p. 197: ’13, p. 28: Ris ’13, p. 997: 
Howe ’20, p. 88: Garm. ’27, p. 290. 
Length 48 mm. Expanse 84 mm. Mass. to La. and Fla. 
A handsome reddish brown species with black tipped abdomen. Face pale, 
becoming darker on labrum, top of frons and vertex, with age. Occiput brown, 
hairy. Thorax rather densely clothed with pale pubescence; uniform brown in 
color, without stripes; sutures of sides indistinct. Legs brown, reddish to middle 
of femora. Wings hyaline with reddish veins and stigma, and a broad basal 
brown spot on the hind wings, of form shown in figure 00. Abdomen reddish 
brown, without color pattern basally, segments blackened towards apex, 8, 9 and 
10 being mostly black. Appendages pale, slightly darkened at tips. 
“...a male Tramea carolina was flying over one of the.... 
ponds. Soon a female came and commenced dipping her abdomen 
into the water. In a moment she was seized by the male and they 
flew away. In half an hour they were back and went flying about to- 
gether, the male now and then suddenly letting go his hold and with 
equal rapidity catching the female again by the neck. Other male 
dragonflies flew after them and when the female stopped to lay eggs, 
they annoyed her considerably. The chief among the disturbers was a 
Inbellula basalis. After a time the male Tramea left his mate and she 
was quickly seized by the aforesaid Libellula basalis, after which they 
flew about together for a considerable time. After letting go his hold 
once and flying down the pond, the L. basalis returned and seized the 
Tramea a second time.” (Davis ‘98, p. 197.) 
